Luminous dial attachment for telephones



Sept 15, 1925. I 1,553,856

w. M. GARRETT LUMINOUS DIAL ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Filed Jan. 7, 1925 W/'///0m M. Garreff via/ uma Sept. 15, 1925.

wmnux GARRETT, 01' mmoms, more. LUmOUB DIAL ATTACHMENT 10F. TELEPHONES.

Application fled January 7, 1825. flertal' Io. 1,110.

To all whom it may concern: 9

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. Gannn'rr,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Luminous Dial Attachments for Telephones; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention provides a simple and efficient attachment for automatic or disc-o erated telephones, said attachment being 111 the nature of a sectional index band having illuminated connections that may be readily seen, even in the dark, through the finger openings in the operating dial. This device may be very quickly a standard automatic telephone without removing or changin any of the parts thereof and wlthout inter rin in any way in the operation of the telep one.

Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel construction and combinations of 7 parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the standard automatic telephone having my attachment applied thereto;

F' 2 1s a plan view of the operatin dial, the 1al base and my attachment app ed to the latter;

Fig. 3 is a section through the attachment, on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;'and

Fig. 4 is a pers ctive showing the two sections of the in ex band or attachment slightly separated.

Of the parts ofthe telephone, it is only desirable, for the purposes of this caseatg articularly note the standard 5, the Base 6, the operating dial 7, and the finger stop 8, which parts are of well known construction. The dial base 6 has an outstanding flan which, in the standard telephone, is provi ed with a printed index band, the connections of which, of course, are arranged to be readily seen through the finger openings in the dial.

and easily applied to ments to properly align My improved dial band made as an attachment comprises two thin sheet metal segments 9, which, when put together at one end, will be sli htly separated at their other ends, thereby orming slightly less than a complete ring. These segments 9 are provided with downturned outer edge flanges 10 that are adapted to closely fit and to be clamped against the outstanding flange of the dial base 6. One of the band segments 9 is formed at one end with a hook 11 that is adapted to be pivotally interlocked to a pin 12 applied to a bifurcated lug 13 secured 'to the ad acentend of the other band segment. The hook 11 is adapted to be engaged with a pin byangular movements of the one segment 9 in respect to the other, and this may be readily done after the two band segments have been placed loosely around the body portion of t e dial base or su port 6. It is, of course, understood that the ial base 6 and its outstanding flange are fixedelements and that the dial is ivotally connected thereto and under spring tension to rotate in'a counterclockwise direction in respect to Fig. 2.

At their other ends, the index band segments 9 are rovided with outstanding lu 14 and 15, t e latter of which is interna threaded. The numeral 16 indicates a small screw adapted to-be freely passed through a perforation in the lug 14 and screwed into the lug 15. When the two index band segments 9 are applied around the flange of the base 6 with their spaced ends on opposite sides of the finger piece 8 and the screw 16 then applied and tightened, the com lete index band will be securely clam in working position. The spacing of the ends of the segments 9 is necessary to make the same clear the finger stop 8, but it will be noted, by reference to Fig. 2, that there is a sli ht clearance, so that the attached index ban may be given slight rotative adjust its connections with the finger openings in the dial.

The connections on the segments 9 of the dial, to wit: both the letters and the numerals, are clearly indicated in Fi 2 and 4. As already indicated, these 0 aracters are luminous, so that they may be seen in the dark. They may be thus made luminous by the use of any of the well known radioactive paints or'substances, such as used on watch and clock dials. The said luminous characters may bevmarked directly on the metallic surfaces of the index segments or they may be applied thereto in any other suitable way. Also, if desired, they may be covered with thin celluloid sheets, or the ma be coated with a transparent materia suc as varnish. However, since they are not subject to wear, they may be unprotected or exposed directly to the atmosphere.

The usefulness of a luminous index device such as described will be a preciated by all persons who have attempte to dial an automatic telephone in the dark or even in places where the light is not good.

The device, as is evident, may be made at small cost and very quickly and easily applied to a telephone.

What I claim is:

1. An index band for automatic telehones, made in two sections having interocking connections at one-end and clamping means at their other ends, said band sections having flanges ada ted' to embrace and clamp against the ange of the dial base of the telephone, and having characters marked thereon and arranged to be viewed ghrpugh the finger openings in the telephone 2. An index band for automatic telephones, made in two sections having interlocking connections at one end and clamping means at their other ends, said band sections having flanges adapted to embrace and clamp agamst the flange of the dial base of the telephone, and having characters marked thereon and arranged to be viewed through the finger openings in the telephone dial, the said dial sections when interlocked at one end formin slightly less than a complete circle and a ording a gap adapted to straddle the finger stop of the telephone.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the characters on said index sections are of a luminous substance and visible in the dark.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM M. GARRETT. 

